


Boys and Beasts

by devilinthedetails



Category: PIERCE Tamora - Works, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Adventure, Bear Hunt, Family, Fun, Gen, Humor, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 03:39:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14946890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devilinthedetails/pseuds/devilinthedetails
Summary: Jon is excited for his first hunt.





	Boys and Beasts

Boys and Beasts

“Bears are tricky beasts, Gary.” Jon almost bounced in his saddle as he waited with what his stuffy tutors in etiquette who always seemed to have sticks jabbed up their bodies where the sun didn’t shine would have reproached as impatience unbefitting a prince for his father to lead the hunting party out of the palace gates and into the Royal Forest. This would be his first hunt, he had done his research, and he was eager as a dog with a new bone to share it with the cousin whose pony stood beside his. “If they charge at you, you have to act as if you’re dead. You can’t run or climb up a tree no matter how much you want to because they’re outrun or out-climb you. Once they’ve done that, they’ll claw you to pieces and eat the pieces in a wink.” 

To provide this final gory point with appropriate glory, Jon lifted his hands in a scratching motion while emitting what he believed to be intimidating growls. He was disappointed when his emphasis only garnered a snort from Gary, who countered in a matter-of-fact manner that reminded Jon that Gary had been allowed to participate in hunts for an entire year while Jon was forced to remain in the safe confines of the nursery, “If you have to play dead with a bear, you’re as good as dead. The best defense against a bear is a good offense. You have to travel in a large group and make a racket as you move through the forest to announce your presence to the bear and to try to scare it away from you.” 

“That wouldn’t work on a bear hunt.” Jon shook his head, surprised that Gary wouldn’t realize the folly of chasing away an animal they were attempting to hunt. “If you drive off the bear, you can’t hunt it.” 

“Why would we want to hunt a bear?” Gary arched an eyebrow at Jon as if he were prancing around in a jester’s cap. 

“We’re hunting a bear now.” Jon spoke slowly, wondering if Gary had taken ill with an autumn cold that had replaced his brains with mucus. That seemed to be the only explanation for his cunning cousin suddenly becoming so oblivious to the obvious. “Father said one of the beasts killed a mother and a baby in a forest village, so we have to put down the beast before it takes the life of anyone else. Remember?” 

“I remember that it was a boar, not a bear.” Gary chuckled, chestnut eyes cackling as though roasting over a fire. “You must have misheard your father.” 

“I did not.” Jon stuck his tongue out to convey to his cousin how little he appreciated Gary’s jocularity at his expense. “A boar would never be able to inflict the damage Father described.” 

“Clearly you’ve never seen the havoc a boar on a rampage can create, not that you’re likely to see that when we’re swaddled with guards like babies in blankets.” Gary lowered his voice to a conspiratorial level. “That is, unless we can throw our guards off our scent and lose them in the forest so we can do some hunting and exploring of our own.” 

Before Jon could agree to this plan, Uncle Gareth, who must have overheard Gary’s plotting from his place of honor to the right of Father, suggesting that Gary’s tone hadn’t been hushed enough after all, spun in his saddle to shoot his son a warning glare. “Don’t even think about escaping your guards, son.” 

Uncle Gareth’s cold stare could have frozen an army of onrushing soldiers, Jon thought, but Gary stayed staunchly unruffled in his mischievousness. “I live to obey, Father”—Gary began with utmost earnestness though Jon suspected that Uncle Gareth knew as well as Jon did that Gary lived more for trouble than obedience—“but how can I when the thought of escaping my guards has already crossed my mind?” 

“I’ll settle for you not thinking any further about escaping your guards and making no attempts to do so.” Uncle Gareth’s lips thinned in a way that usually meant he was determined not to be outwitted by young boys. 

“Yes, Father. Very generous of you.” Gary ducked his head as if in defeat but Jon could spot a gleam in his eyes that meant Gary’s mind was already devising potential methods of outsmarting his father since prohibitions were nothing more than encouragements to Gary. This might not be a bear hunt, but Jon had no doubt that his first hunt would be an exciting adventure because of the cousin who was more brother to him.


End file.
